Tea surprise
by sweetnothingshappen
Summary: Minerva and Hermione discuss lost family and discover a surprising connection between the two of them. Oneshot.


"Professor who is the man in that picture?" Hermione pointed to the photograph she had spotted earlier. They had just been discussing over a pot of tea the Yule ball preparations.

"My son." Minerva smiled at it but there was something missing, she looked like she was remembering something bad. "That was taken just after he became an auror."

"He's very handsome and is that a photo of him there as a baby?" There was a photo on the other side of the mantle that Hermione had only just noticed, of Professor McGonagall holding a tiny baby.

"No my daughter." She got up and picked the photograph up, stroking the frame gently. "you remind me of her sometimes Hermione."

"well I.." Hermione studied her teacher before her, she was slightly lost for words and so tactically changed the course of the conversation ever so slightly. "To be honest professor I don't think I or anyone ever thought you were married and I assume knowing you that you were married if you had children."

"Oh yes I was married and I did have a family." She paused as she considered revealing it to the head girl who reminded her not just of her daughter but also in many ways herself. "I was married to the most wonderful man on the earth yet he infuriated me."

"You got divorced?"

"Oh no, he died." She put down her cup of tea. "You knew him, he didn't even die that long ago."

"Who on earth could it be…" Hermione thought out loud but suddenly it popped into her mind, " Professor Dumbledore. It was him wasn't it? The rumours were true?"

"Yes, yes it was him." The headmistress sat down heavily into her arm chair, leaning back as she watched Hermione. "We had three children all of them grown up now except little Arianna."

Hermione felt her heart melt a little. "She was named after his sister wasn't she?"

"Yes, that's her in that photograph." The baby yawned slightly as picture Minerva doted over it. "She died from Dragon fever when she was just six months old." Minerva saw the look of horror and grief on Hermione's face. "In those days there were less drugs to treat it, we tried everything but-"

"Professor I should go, I've upset you I'm so sorry, I-"

"No. Stay please." Hermione melted slightly as her teacher regained her composure. "You should know and anyway it's nice for someone to know my secret."

"What about the other two?" Hermione was scared to ask in case it only upset her more but she had gone this far.

"Brian died during the first wizarding war. He was protecting his wife and children from Voldemort. You would have loved him, he was a wonderful man. Our other daughter was a squib. She was perfectly successful in her own rights however she was involved in the last wizarding war and I've lost contact with her."

"You mean they're all gone?" She couldn't help but choke slightly as she uttered these words. Hermione had always admired the woman sitting before her but now she saw a woman who had lost everything and yet kept going. She wanted to help her more than anything. She was suddenly starting to realise that she loved her like someone would love a grandmother and she was the closest thing she had ever had to grandmother in her life.

"Yes most likely." Hermione against every cell in her brain threw herself at Minerva sobbing into her. "Hermione dear there is nothing you can do about it, Hermione please look at me." She managed to pull her chin up from where it was buried in her midsection. "I have come to accept my hand out in life. You do not need to cry for me, I have led a wonderful life full of love. Yes everyone I loved is maybe gone but they are still with me, those you love never really leave you."

"Wait!"

"Hermione, it's fi-"

"You said you lost contact with your daughter, could she be? I mean she could still be alive couldn't she?" She wanted for her mentor to have something, something possibly good. "You could have grandchildren, she might be safe." She instantly felt her tense though when Hermione had said grandchildren.

"I had a grandchild." Hermione stared at her.

"Did they disappear too?"

"No." Minerva got up and paced in front of the fire.

"They died?" Hermione had decided that after all that had been said it would not matter what was said now.

"No."

"Then what?"

"She saved her parents the only way she knew how." Minerva watched as Hermione's features turned into an ugly scowl. "They were obivaited."

"No." Her jaw dropped in horror.

"Yes Hermione. You saved your parents by removing your existence and the wizarding world. By removing the wizarding world though you also removed me." Hermione let out a sob, scared by how angry the woman pacing in front of her was.

"I didn't know…I'm so, so sorry." She felt her head fall into her hands. "Please I was only… I'm sorry."  
She suddenly felt arms around her stroking soothing circles into her back.

"Oh Hermione, don't be sorry. You saved her." She placed a gentle kiss to her crown. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you who I was sooner."

"That means, you're, you're, my mother's mum, my grandmother?"

"Yes sweetheart. Did it not ever surprise you how calm your mother was about you being a witch?"

"No not really, I never noticed. I'm confused as to how she had a child who was a witch though."

"She wasn't born a squib, she caught dragon fever when Arianna had it, she only just survived but she was left magic-less, she went to a muggle school and she did very well, got in dentistry and met your father. They had you after I thought I would have no more grandchildren. Yet your mother, grandfather and I decided it would be safest for you to not know your full heritage."

"So I belong here, I have family?"

"Yes you do belong here, I only wish we could have told you sooner, your grandfather was so proud of you." Hermione could hear the hint of sadness in her voice.

"Well I suppose that was what you asked me to tea for?"

"oh no it was to go over the plans for the Yule ball, I'm just glad it came up."

"I was thinking about trying to track my parents down, I gave new identities and sent them to Australia. I can find them again and maybe they can restore their memories."

"Hermione I hate to say this but restoring memories is a tricky process especially when it's been so long since they were removed." She saw Hermione's face fall. "We can try, oh we can try my darling."

They did try and both Mr and Mrs Granger had 80% of their memories and identities return. Minerva got back her daughter and Hermione got her Mum back. Ron's only answer when Hermione told him why she wanted to name Rose after Minerva was "Bloody Hell".


End file.
